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Re: Horrific bathroom odor

Yes problem since you installed and suffering with this condition since April 2007, I'd say a call to a plumber on your behalf is long overdue.

Noticed you started another thread wherein you mentioned you have tile all over the house on a concrete slab. Wonder if you've got something ruptured, like the sewer and/or the main stack. Can't imagine living with your stink for over a year and a half, and not having leveled and secured your teetering toilet.

Re: Horrific bathroom odor

Originally Posted by MSSP

First off let me ask who did the plumbing? I dont think an S trap would evaperate that quickly or with just 20 or so degree temp change. Can you pinpoint the offending aroma? Alot of times the overflow from a tub is not connected properly. Try to figure out where the smell is the strongest to narrow the search

Huh? What do you think would be left in an S trap on a lav to evapOrate? Especially with a strong slug or the teetering toilet?

Re: Horrific bathroom odor

No real telling from here just where/what the problem might be. Conjectures is about all one can do at this distance. Or at least the best those of us with less than super-natural powers can do.

Depending upon how all the plumbing is configured, it is possible that an S trap (if you have one of those) *could* be getting sucked dry when you flush the toilet or similar. To determine whether this hypothetical S trap might be the culprit....try to remember to refill it with a little water, each and every time..... after flushing your toilet, draining the tub, etc. IOW, run a cup of water in the sink. If this puts an end to the odors, you have some notion of where its entering...although not exactly why the trap is getting sucked dry. That might be because of problems with the configuration of the venting system...or might simply be because the way things in general are configured. Same thing holds true for a P trap if the venting system has problems.

You could also try refilling the tub/shower drain at the same time as refilling the sink trap. This *should* tell you if either of those is the culprit and you can sort out exactly which one later.

If after diligently refilling these two traps, the odor continues.....the toilet seal becomes more suspect. That's pretty easy and cheap to replace.

There are also other possibilities including a fractured vent stack inside the wall cavity from an errant screw or similar.....or even that one of these fixtures didn't have a trap installed on it at all. Sound implausible? Did to me also until I got called in to remedy a septic odor in a newly built B&B about 7-8 years ago. Every bathroom stunk all the time. The "plumber" didn't put any traps on any of the bath fixtures in the house, got his check and then quickly hit the hi-ho trail. Moved outta state within three days...leaving a trail of problems and bills behind.

Also..there is a possibility that the plumber installed a trap (tub/shower most likely) that is not sitting upright as it should, but is somewhat rolled over on its side. If rolled a tad too much, the contained water never creates a true seal against the gases and so they enter anyway. This is a potential bugaboo if trying to determine which fixture is at fault by refilling each trap after flushing.etc. Refilling wouldn't leave any more water in a rolled-trap and so refilling would be inconclusive. Lets hope that isn't the case and that the problem can be more easily isolated/located.

Another possibility comes to mind - You say this smell becomes worse as the ambient outdoor temps drop. Does this also mean when your furnace runs? Is it a forced-air heating system? If so, there *might* be a fractured pipe or similar......emitting gases under the floor or inside a wall cavity....that then get sucked up into the heating duct for this room.....particularly so when the furnace runs.